Monthly Archives: May 2012

Run to your happy place. But honestly the route to that happy place may not always exactly FEEL like you’re running on clouds, does it? Pretty sure my answer to that question between intervals 3 and 9.99 would have been a resounding, “Heck no!” Though finish the cool-down, or the run, and I’m a firm believer that I’ve reached a happier place.
Workouts and runs are interesting because to a certain degree there’s always the ‘surprise’ variable; you can plan your hard and easy schedule but sometimes the legs have the final word in what kind of run it is. For hard workouts the goal is to push yourself, get better, see improvement, and you want to have some extra oomph in those legs.

We live in some pretty manic times, and for most mortal runners that means fitting in training when it’s possible. Realistically this looks like runs at 5am, parents pushing jogging strollers or doing intervals around the track while their kids use the long jump pit as a sandbox. (I have vivid memories of making sandcastles back when I was a kid!)
Multi-tasking isn’t so much a nice way to stay ahead of the game anymore, it’s evolved into a necessity, a way to survive. The law even has had to step in banning cell phones or eating while driving. For runners we KNOW there are other things we ‘should’ be doing outside of just putting in the miles; the stretching, the core work, the icing, the weights. Though for many, life seems to get in the way of the ‘little’ things.

I love 80’s music, certain songs come on and instantly I feel compelled to yell horribly off key and bust into what I’d try to call moves. I’m the dork in the car who sings along to the music, jiggling in her seat, and fooling herself into believing the windows are as tinted as a rock-star’s limo. Surely it’s fun and easy to dance like no one is watching, but do you run like no one is watching?

You make running look good, and running makes you look good too! 😉

Running is one of those incredibly unique sports that is for the most part solely up to you. You’re in control, the opportunity to succeed and improve is in your hands, the workouts are yours to do or skip, when you step to the line in the end it’s a race between you and yourself. There can be the team aspect of course, running is also one tight community; your teammates and coaches are there for support and guidance but again it comes down to you and those legs. Are you tough enough to run like no one is watching? Are you brave enough to dream like no one is watching?

If I weren’t attached to my runner legs I’m pretty sure I’d lose them. I take the saying, “I’m the worst with directions” to an entirely new level…I make blondes look like GPS tracking whizzes I’m sure. Today I passed the right turn I should have taken, the one that is less thank 2 miles away from my home and that I’ve taken dozens of times and wound up a tad lost or turned around.

Step to the line a gamer and STAY that way during the actual race too. 😉

It got me thinking though, do you know what one of the biggest culprits for lost time in races or when running workouts is? The case of the lost mind. It happens to all of us no matter how awesome you are with directions and it happens on the track all the time even though I’ll guarantee all of those runners know to turn left and keep running straight ahead.

In training, when you’re running hard intervals the emphasis is naturally on the hard sessions. You want to hit the splits and push yourself all the way through to the end. True, these hard sessions are what are going to tear down the muscles the most so that they can repair themselves and come back stronger…get you fitter and in the end faster.

How do you 'rest'?

But what does your recovery look like between these intervals? Do you cross the line and immediately come to a stand-still, a statue frozen in place relishing every second before you have to start the next one? Do you pace around a bit to collect yourself? Do you keep running, or jogging?

Runners, we may look like a pretty straight-laced bunch but don’t be fooled by the outward appearances. Sure, we generally off up quick smiles, have a few odd quirks and harbor an affection miles and miles that can appear rather harmless. We travel in packs and groups, duos and trios, but even flying solo we are up to some mischief. Our offenses may seem rather benign to some but we can be rule breakers after all…you’ve been warned!

We may make it a goal to try and break a speed limit if we see one within our reach. 😉

* School Dress Codes: Don’t even bother breaking out the ruler I KNOW my shorts are short but there is no sane runner donning shorts that are down past mid-thigh. Compared to the hazing by chafing that would case I’ll take all the detention in the world.

Runners in lane one! I really wish there could just be a little track gnome with a megaphone who could shout this to clear out lane one from walkers and joggers so that any runners attempting to do speed-work wouldn’t have to try to dodge them, weaving in and out looking like some fellows who belong in the drunk tank. 😉

Sharing the pacing duties takes off a big mental burden.

Alas, alas, not everyone is as schooled at track etiquette as us, right? Today I’m riding a nice endorphin high thanks to getting out to the track myself. The track was loaded with people, which is how all tracks should be, running IS the best past-time after all. My friends head a local track group and it looked like there was a soccer camp going on in the middle of the field and the kiddies then bopped on over to the lanes as well.

I may be partial but I DO believe runner legs look great with everything…they just look their best doing, well, what they do best. 😉
Though it may be a stretch to believe I actually have that many ‘regular people clothes.’ Is it wrong if I’ve tried to brainwash myself into believing that Nike shoes and apparel are acceptable to wear anywhere? Actually, once I have my Get Chicking shirt I’ll probably just wear that everywhere and I hope you do too. If not then I’ll just have to cycle through the boxes of shirts in various sizes until the end of my days. 😉

Run like your butt is on fire…Surely it FEELS like your butt is on fire at times, no? Nothing like the booty-lock shuffle induced from going out at a pace you probably shouldn’t have. Payback for making that pacing mishap can turn downright ugly come the later stages of the race or workout.

A runner goes through different phases the longer they are involved in the sport.They gradually start to slip away from the ‘norm’ in degrees, sometimes so slight it’s not even noticeable, until of course they reach the point of no return and have fallen all the way down the runner rabbit hole.

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